Even in Darkness
by WinterGuardianAngel24
Summary: Even where light prevails, darkness will follow. Not all is as it seems and some truths are meant to remained buried. "Eveyone dies eventually Jack. That's the law of nature."
1. First Snowfall

**Disclaimer: If I owned Rise of the Guardians, the world would have never seen it. I'd be hording it to myself because it was so awesome. Just saying.**

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First Snowfall

It had been a relatively normal day for Jack. He had brought winter back around for Jamie and his friends to enjoy, and took great joy from the snowball fight that ensued. Things were just looking up for him since he gained believers. He left later that night to spread his snowy touch further across the globe to the areas where winter should be present, stopping by another village for a moment of rest as he watched and laughed as more kids enjoyed his little gift.

His attention was drawn to a small group of young children following a lone teenager. Curious, he dropped down onto the awning of the building the group was passing by to see what they were up to for this wonderful wintery day.

"Mama! Tell us the story about all the guardians again!" One of the little girls chirped excitedly, tugging at the oldest girl's arm- though still mindful of the small toddler within the teenager's grasp.

The oldest of the group chuckled. "Again? I thought I just told you about everyone again yesterday."

"It's been a few days!" A boy jumped in. "Honest!"

"Yeah!" Another child agreed. "Please mom?"

The girl laughed. "Alright, alright. Let's get a nice campfire going and some hot chocolate in everyone's hands and we can begin. Does that sound good?"

The children cheered and worked together to get their now apparent mother figure to move faster.

Jack decided to follow, wondering what story could have the children so hyped up. And more than that, he wanted to know if the girl meant by guardians. He was also wondering why all the children called this obviously young woman mother of all things. She couldn't be any older than seventeen, not to mention that only the baby (who looked around the age of one) was the only one with similar traits to the girl.

The group traveled to small, but homey little rambler seated a short distance from town, working quickly to get everything ready as soon as possible. The teenager took the baby girl inside for a nap, having fallen asleep on their walk back home, and came out with an armful of blankets so that the children wouldn't get cold.

"All right then! Is everyone ready?" The girl asked, laughing lightly when she received a round of cheers. "Well, where should I start?"

"Tell us about the Tooth Fairy!" The same little girl who had asked for the stories called out.

The teenager smiled. "Well what did all your friends say she looked like?"

"Everyone at school says that she dresses in white and has big glittery wings," one of the other boys reported.

"And what about her helpers?" The brunette teen pressed.

The boy shook his head. "According to everyone at school, the Tooth Fairy doesn't have any helpers."

Jack and the teenager scoffed at the same time.

"How ridiculous, no wonder they can't see her!" The teenager proclaimed. "Of course the Tooth Fairy has helpers! She has to work every single hour of the day since it's always nighttime somewhere. And she isn't all white, how else would she be able to blend in a little? The Tooth Fairy looked more like a hummingbird."

"But why is that mommy?" The other little girl asked.

"Because hummingbirds a small and quick! And they can blend into their environment much better than a woman flying around in a blazing white dress!" The children and Jack laughed at the girl's exaggerated hand movements.

"Does that mean she has wings like a hummingbird too?" The eldest little girl inquired.

The brunette shook her head. "Not at all. Her wings are like the other children said, but probably not as large as they would imply. I think they would be more like a lady bug's wings."

"Now the Easter Bunny!" The youngest child of the current group, the little boy who had yet to speak, cheered.

The teenager chuckled again. "I would think you'd like to hear about Santa, or North as I should call him."

"Mama," the middle age little girl whined, although it was all in good fun and not at all for real. "You said you would tell us about all of them!"

The teenager smiled. "Yes, yes. I remember. Well then, Bunny it is. His full name is E. Aster Bunnymund, who lives in the Warrens with his giant stone egg helpers, and he isn't your usual rabbit. Bunny is actually very large and very strong."

"How big?" The oldest boy, clearly amazed already.

"Bunny is about six feet tall, master of Tai Chi and fights with a pair of boomerangs," the girl informed the group. "In fact, I bet he even has an accent!"

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! What accent!" The children cheered in a jumble.

The teenager hummed in thought. "I'm thinking it would have to be something like Australian."

"Why is that Mama?" The oldest girl asked immediately, nearly jumping off her chair in her excitement.

"Well if he's going to fight with something like boomerangs, then he must have picked that weapon from some background like that one right?" The girl reasoned.

"Now Santa!" The children shouted out.

"Well for one, his name is Nicholas Saint North and he lived in Santoff Clausen."

"You mean he doesn't live there anymore?" The middle aged boy inquired.

"Well I think he lives in the North Pole now," the girl laughed. "And he isn't as most believe him. North is actually very strong and he fights with two sabers. I think he looks closer to a tough biker than most would think, especially seeing as he has a tattoo of naughty and nice on his arms."

To this there was a resounding and unison "Wooow~" from the kids.

Jack chuckled. He didn't know how the girl knew so much, but watching all their facial expressions was definitely amusing.

"North didn't start out as a guardian of children, though he was one of the firsts," the girl told the group.

"Really now?" Now _this_ peaked Jack's interest.

"What do you mean!" The youngest child cried out. "Santa _has_ to be a guardian!"

"He is, he is. Don't worry," the teenager laughed. "I'm just saying that he didn't start out that way. All of you have to remember; guardians aren't made, they're tested. It wasn't until the battle against the Nightmare King that North officially became a guardian under the Man on the Moon along with Sanderson Mansnoozie, also known as Sandy, or the Sandman as most know him."

"Wh-Who's the Nightmare King?" The middle aged girl stuttered out.

"Well, he's mostly known as the boogeyman," the teenager told the group in hushed tones. "But he's also known by the name Pitch Black. The Man in the Moon, or Mim for short, battled Pitch and ended up stuck on the moon. It was thanks to a small spirit boy named Nightlight- who helped raise Mim- and a diamond dagger that Pitch could be imprisoned for such a length of time. But thanks to a stray and curious moon beam who wondered too far, Pitch was freed. After a long adventure where North's little troupe of outlaw elves were turned to stone by The Spirit of the Forest-"

"Wait!" The oldest boy cut in. "Tell us that one too!"

"Yeah, me too!" Jack added, though he knew it would go unheard.

The teenager laughed and shook her head. "If I tell you the entire adventure, then I won't be able to tell you about all the guardians."

The children sulked a little but agreed and motioned for the girl to continue.

"Anyways, North managed to drive out Pitch and his Fearlings and protect the small village of Santoff Clausen. North, Nightlight, a wizard named Ombric, and a woman named Katherine gave chase and were almost taken out by Pitch, but thanks to Nightlight's army of moonbeams and the Abominable Snowmen, or Yetis as they should be called, sent from the Lunar Lamas, the group was able to make it out."

"Well this is getting interesting," Jack mumbled. It was a shame she wasn't going to tell the whole story, but he would have to remember to ask the others about all of this later.

"From there they met up with Bunny and later Tooth, where the guardians then managed to banish Pitch from the world. They knew it wouldn't last forever, but as long as they remained to bring hope and light, as well as protect the children, then they were sure that everything would turn out alright."

"Wow," the middle aged girl breathed. "So now Pitch is locked away?"

The teenager shook her head. "Pitch did in fact come back to power. Calm down. Calm down." The teenager waved her hands and motioned for the kids to still themselves from their rising panic. "That's what brings us to the next guardian."

This brought all the children to a halt.

"Who?" The oldest boy demanded.

"Why, it's Jack Frost of course!" The teenager replied with a wide smile.

The spirit jumped in surprise and looked around to study the girl. She knew his name? That he was a guardian? Could…Could she see him too?

"What's he like?" The oldest girl asked excitedly.

"Well his hair is like the mountain top in the middle of a blizzard, his skin pale as the moon, and his teeth sparkle like freshly fallen snow!"

_Seriously, who's been telling people this?_ Jack wondered to himself, but returned his attention wish a slight shake of his head as the girl continued describing her vision of him.

"Jack also has eyes colored a rich wintery blue, even deeper than sapphires!"

"Is he cute?" The oldest chipped in again.

The teenager nodded sagely. "Of course he's good looking! Jack Frost can't go around nipping the noses of cute girls unless he was handsome!"

The two girls giggled while the boys rolled their eyes. Jack merely chuckled. He would never admit that he was both deeply embarrassed that someone thought that way about him, and extremely smug at the same time.

"Anyways," the young woman persisted, "Jack is the spirit of winter and he loves having fun. That's why we get such wonderful snow days like today! But he also cares very deeply for all the children in the world, whether they believe in him or not."

"Mommy, why would it matter if we believe in him or not?" The middle aged girl questioned with a slight tilt of her head.

The teenager smiled, but the nearby spirit could see a bit of sadness behind it. "The guardians get a great portion of their powers from the belief of children and only those who truly believe can see them. Since not many believe in Jack, I'm sure that he must be very lonely."

The winter spirit could only stare in wonder, touched by the girl's sentiments.

"But it was thanks to Jack that the other guardians could come together with enough power to drive Pitch back into the darkness whence he came."

Silence settled over the group as the children took in the story.

"Mama," the middle aged boy spoke up. "Do you really believe in all of them?"

The girl blinked, staring at the child a bit before shrugging. "Here's what I do know: Seeing isn't believing; daybreak will return at the end of even the darkest night, spring will follow any winter, Mother Nature can be a witch; and the Man in the Moon is a jerk. However, no matter what anyone else thinks, it's up to you whether you believe in something or not. Don't let anyone else make you think otherwise, alright."

"So you believe in Mim?" The youngest child giggled.

"Sure, I talk to the moon all the time," the teenager proclaimed.

"Mom, you curse at the moon all the time," the oldest boy refuted.

"Curse, talk. Eh, who's counting," the teenager replied nonchalantly. "I need someone to blame when I stub my toe on the way to the bathroom at night."

"You could just turn on the light," the boy pointed out.

"The light is too bright and I'm too lazy," the teenager argued. "I'd rather blame something else."

Jack laughed at the way the kids shook their head in exasperation. This must be a common event.

The teenager clapped her hands together. "Alright troupers! It's time to go to bed. You have school and I have a test along with work, so chop-chop!"

Jack watched as the little family gathered their gear and returned to the warmth of the house. He made a split second decision to stay, wondering if the girl would end up running into a wall or something in the middle of the night. She was such a curious person and she seemed to know so much. He settled down next to her window and watched as she collapsed on her bed. It was evident in her actions that she had been hiding how weary she really was the entire time. The winter spirit turned his gaze to the moon, thinking about everything the girl had said. Had she made everything up, or was she speaking the truth? If so, how on earth did _she_ know?

It wasn't until much later into the night that Jack redirected his attention and gaze back into the teenagers room, hearing rustling and a murmur or two. What he saw made his frown, as the girl had curled into herself and looked to be afraid. He looked for a Fearling or shadow that indicated the Nightmare King's work, but found nothing.

Suddenly, the girl sat up with a shuddering- yet oddly quiet- gasp. She looked around frantically before climbing out of her bed and through her window. Jack silently followed the girl as she broke into a light jog in nothing but house slippers, flannel pajamas, and a worn out hoodie. Eventually they came upon a small frozen lake where the girl plopped down unceremoniously on an old stump and curled into herself once more.

"It's alright," she murmured to herself as she rocked back and forth. "He's not here. He can't hurt you anymore. You're okay. Come on pull yourself together."

The girl shook and shivered from the combination of cold and the tears she desperately tried to stop, and all the while Jack could only stand by and watch. He wanted to help, to offer the girl some form of comfort, but what could he do when she couldn't even see him?

The most he could do for now was watch over her and make sure she made it back to her home in one piece. He only left once the sandman arrived and provided the girl and her family with better dreams.


	2. Second Snowfall

**Disclaimer: I wish I may, I wish I might, but damn the truth is going to bite. It ain't happenin' anytime soon folks. **

Second Snowfall

Jack found himself to returning to that small house almost as often as his trips to Burgess from that point on. He couldn't be there every day, as the world was big and there was always winter and snow to bring somewhere, but it was often enough.

Days then Months rolled by and soon, it was nearly an entire year later. It was definitely the longest year Jack had ever experienced, seeing how 300 had rolled by so fast when he thought back on it. Winter had just fully set in for that small village where that strange teenage girl resided.

Jack had just arrived that early morning, bringing another layer of ice and snow with him, intending to stick around for the night and see if he could catch any more stories from the girl. The moment he alighted upon the rooftop of the small one story house, he immediately spotted the girl and her little ones.

"How about today, seeing as none of us have school or work thanks to good ol' Jack Frost and in the season of the holidays, I tell you about Nicholas St. North and his troupe of outlaws," the teenager offered.

Jack grinned. Perfect timing and this would surely turn out to be a good story to interrogate North about later- though he still hadn't gotten a chance to ask about that Katherine girl yet. His gaze softened a bit when the children cheered and ran into the house to get their storytelling circle ready.

The girl was about to step inside as well when something caught her attention and she turned around. The teenager frowned a bit as she gazed up at the sky and tried to figure out the spectacle before her. "The Northern Lights?...Can be seen in the morning?"

Jack blinked in surprise and followed the girl's gaze. He sighed in disappointment, not wishing to leave before he got a chance to hear the story, but dutifully left to see what North and the others wanted.

"Ah Jack!" North called out upon his arrival. "Good! You come. We can begin."

"So what's going on?" Tooth asked. "Why'd you call everyone together?"

"I did not call," North corrected. "Bunny did."

"Indeed I did." The gray furred pooka nodded and stepped forward. "We've got a bit of a problem."

"What be problem, old friend?" North encouraged.

The giant bunny reached into his pack and pulled out a handful of dead plants.

"Wait, wait, wait," Jack jumped in. "You called all of us together because of a few wilted flowers?"

"You don't get it mate," Bunny argued. "These are from the Warren."

"But Bunny," Tooth chimed in, "Your Warren is set in eternal spring."

The gray hare nodded. "Exactly. Something was lurking around and everywhere it went, my Warren suffered. And I'm not the only one who thinks something's off." Bunny nodded toward the open skylight where Mim was shining through.

Jack gazed up with the others, only to blink and look away a moment later. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a couple of times, trying to clear the black dots that had entered his vision so suddenly. He sent a reassuring smile toward Sandy to tell the other that he was alright, then turning back to the others to try to keep up with what they were discussing. But for whatever reason, his head felt like it was spinning and their forms were starting blur out along with their words. Then his body started to feel heavy and he couldn't seem to be able to hold himself up.

"Jack!"

Everything faded into darkness.

xXx

Jack blinked and looked around. This wasn't North's workshop. No…This was that little house with the strange teenager.

"Hey mom," the oldest little girl called out, her siblings standing behind her. "Can you save the story for night time?"

"Oh?" The teenager quirked a brow up, her eyes taking on a teasing light. "And what occasion brings my most awesome of storytelling times to a halt so abruptly?"

The children obviously couldn't tell if their motherly figure was joking or not- then again Jack might not have if he hadn't visited as often as he had by now- and the oldest girl seemed to falter as she fidgeted before the young woman. "W-we, um…We want to go play at the lake and save your story for nighttime. Please?"

"Yeah! Please, please, please!" The kids chirped one after the other.

"Well…" The girl trailed off while stoking her chin- as a man would his beard- in an overly dramatic way before breaking out into a huge grin. "Eh, what can I say? I'm a crowd pleaser, so go ahead."

The cheered and gave each other high fives, running off to collect the gear they needed for their little adventure. Jack couldn't help but smile as well, happy that the kids were so excited to enjoy his little gift.

Their group made their way to the lake- the same one the girl had run off to that first night he met them Jack noted- the children immediately went off to do whatever it is they wanted. The teenager contented herself with playing with her two year old little girl and the youngest boy, working with them to build a snowman. It wasn't until they had almost finished building their icy friend that something happened.

Suddenly the teenager looked up and glanced around, Jack joining her search when he saw her discomfort. She frowned a little. "Something doesn't feel right…"

"Mommy!"

The teenager gasped and whipped around. Out in the middle of the lake was the middle of the three girls in her family, standing precariously on cracking ice that had definitely been a great deal thicker just seconds ago.

"Susie," the teenager breathed in horror.

"Mommy!" The child cried out again, trying to take a step forward only to freeze again when it cracked some more.

"Susie, stay right there!" The young brunette woman called out frantically. "Michelle, Jeremy! Get off the ice!"

The winter spirit rushed ahead of the oldest of the family, not chancing landing on the ice, instead floating above it and tapping his staff on the surface. He intended to freeze the lake over as much as he could so that they wouldn't have to worry and it would have worked, if his staff hadn't passed right through.

Jack gasped in shock. Never once had his staff become unable to touch inanimate objects. People, yes, but never something like a lake. He could only watch in growing horror as the winter guardian realized that he may have to watch someone repeat his past, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"I want you to stay calm, do you hear me Susie?" The teenager instructed the young girl as she crawled out on the ice. "Remember the polar bears?"

"Yes," the girl replied with a shortly, her breathes coming in short panicked gasps.

"Do you remember how they get across thin ice?" The teenager pressed as she inched forward.

"O-On their bellies."

The teenager nodded. "That's right, can you slowly do that?"

The little girl shook her head, tears springing from her eyes. "I can't move mommy. I'm so scared."

"Shh. It's okay, it's okay. You're going to be alright. Mommy's almost there. I need you to trust mommy, okay?"

The small girl nodded, trying her best to remain brave.

"You're such a good girl," the teenager encouraged, stopping a couple of feet in front of her little one. "Now I want you to listen closely, alright? I want you to take my hand and then mommy is going to throw you as hard as I can over to thick ice, and then I want you to get off right away? Okay?"

"What about you?" The little girl demanded, her voice wavering.

"Mommy will be okay. Remember, mommy can swim?"

Jack shook his head slowly. If that girl fell in with all that clothing, which would suck up the frigid water and weigh her down immensely, even if she could swim there was no way she would make it out. And that wasn't including the fact that even though the water seemed to have heated up a bit, it was still below freezing.

"You trust mommy, right?" The teenager asked the child with a confident smile, getting up onto all fours and reaching out her hand.

The little girl nodded and grabbed the offered limb. Not a moment later, the girl was flung to the other side where she skidded across the thick and safer ice, and the ice beneath the teenager melted away.

The kids cried out for their mother in despair along with the invisible Jack, who reached into the water to try to grab the girl, even though he knew it was impossible to touch her.

The teenager surfaced from the hole, trying desperately to pull herself up, but the ice continued to crack and break with her attempts. The young woman paused to catch her breath, already shivering violently, glancing around and trying to think of a way out of her predicament. Abruptly, she threw her weight at the ice once more, barely managing to grasp the next edge. She repeated this process several more times and Jack watch in amazement as the girl continued to do so until she reached a part of the lake where (luckily) the ice was thick enough and there was ground to push off of.

The kids and Jack breathed out a sigh of relief. That would never work again in a million years, but that was just fine with them, just this one time was more than fine. The teenager waved her children away, warning them of hypothermia and telling them that she needed to get to a hospital as soon as possible. The girl was knowledgeable enough to know that even if her clothes were soaked through, she needed to keep them on to stave off the cold that would surely kill her in minutes otherwise.

She glanced around quickly, counting off her kids and freezing in place when she realized there was one missing. "Oh no…No, no, no. Where's Alex?"

"Mama!"

"Alex!" The teenager yelled with fright when she spotted her youngest little boy on the middle of a fallen tree perched between the two cliff faces. The fall wasn't hundreds of feet, but it was still high enough to bring someone to their end.

_Why is this happening?_ Jack screamed in his head. One thing after the other, why? This family didn't deserve any of this. He watched as the wood started to splinter. In this case, even if he tried to freeze the fallen log, it would have only ended up in making the dead tree explode due to the expanding water content.

The teenager tore off her coat and other extra layers as she ran over to her child. She was racing against time, so she didn't bother to stop and raced onto the decaying tree. She grabbed her child and kept moving forward.

It was then that Jack noticed it. A small shadow reached up and latched onto the top of the teenager's foot, not enough to completely trip her but enough to make her stumble a little. Suddenly there was an ear-popping crack. The young woman tossed the child in her arms just before the wood broke up from beneath her feet. The group could only watch in horror as the mother grabbed at the icy wall, barely managing to find a ledge to hold onto. The young group ran around the long way as fast as they could so that they could be on the same side as their parental guardian.

"Mom! Grab our hand!" The two oldest children called out, reaching down.

The teenager shook her head. "Find someone and call for help."

"No! You have to come up with us!" The boy yelled, trying to reach farther without falling over.

"Go!" The teenager commanded. "I'll be alright. If I can't climb up, then I'll climb down. But I'll need a hospital. Can all of you do that for me?"

It was a lie and Jack knew it. He could already tell by the bluish tint that had settled over the girl. Her breathes were coming in short and weak, and her pupils were dilated. The girl wasn't even shivering anymore. It was a small miracle that she was still hanging on, but it was more than clear that she would not last much longer.

The girl nodded and stood up, but the oldest boy remained. "You promise you'll be alright?"

The teenager smiled. "Mom's going to do her very best to keep you smiling, remember?"

Tears started to escaped the corners of the boy's eyes as he moved to get up. "You have to be here when we get back!" The boy shouted before grabbing the hands of two of his siblings and running of for help with the others.

Only Jack remained.

The teenager heaved a small sigh and attempted to move, but a numbness was settling over her and her vision was steadily growing dark. Tears leaked out, even as she smiled a little. Her gaze trailed over the wall, oddly, landed on Jack's sorrowful figure, and remained there.

"P-Please," she rasped. "P-P-Please t-take c-c-c-care o-of th-th-th-them."

Jack nodded. "I'll do my best, I swear it."

The girl smile and fell.

xXx

Jack sat up with a start, gasping for air. He could feel a light layer of sweat, but wasn't thinking about any of that right now.

"Jack, are you alright?" Tooth demanded as she fluttered over the boy worriedly.

"Sit back down," North instructed. "You collapsed suddenly."

Jack shook his head and pushed through the group, though a bit unsteadily. "I have to hurry, she might still be alive!"

"She who?" Tooth asked, trying to get the boy to return to the couch. "Jack, what are you talking about?"

"Calm down mate," Bunny jumped in. "It could have just been a dream."

"It wasn't! She fell and there was nothing I could do about it," the winter spirit told the group. "I have to hurry, there could still be time!"

"Jack!" Tooth called out, but the boy had raced out the window and was flying away as fast as possible. "But what about…"

"What should we do?" Bunny asked the others.

Sandy shook his head and pointed out the window where Jack had disappeared.

North nodded. "Seems important. We should follow."

"I hate to say it, but," Bunny shook his head slowly, already dreading the idea, "get that sleigh of yours ready."


	3. Third Snowfall

**Disclaimer: If roses are red and violets are blue; RotG, why can't I own you? Don't know why, but I'm into rhyming right now.**

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Third Snowfall

Jack traveled across the land faster than he ever had before or what he had considered possible. But even then, it still felt like an eternity before he finally reached the small town and the lake the girl and her family had been enjoying before their day had taken such a horrible turn. By the time he landed next to the lake, it was nighttime and the town was quiet.

But more importantly, there was no split in the earth.

The winter spirit studied the area, but it was exactly where the girl had disappeared. He was in the right area, so where was the hole in the ground where the log had broken?

Was it all just a dream after all?

But…But it had all felt so real…

Jack took to the air, the wind carrying him to the house of the girl and her family. It only took him a single glance to know that he hadn't been mistaken. Even so, just to be sure, just in case there was that _slightest_ chance- because he wanted to be wrong more than anything else- he landed next to the girl's bedroom window and peaked inside.

No words could truly describe the heartbreaking scene before him. All six children were curled together on the small bed, even in slumber evidence of their sorrow still etched upon their faces. A woman- a friend of the teenager, Jack remembered- was slumped against the desk. It was clear that she was watching over them while their fates were decided for them.

Jack slumped against the side of the building, pulling a leg up to rest his head against his knee and his arm wrapping around his leg. The girl was dead. He was used to the comings and goings of humans, having lived for hundreds of years, but this one just seemed so…tragic. The poor misfit family may not have had much in material procession, but they were full of light and hope, finding joy in the little things in life. And now that was all ruined.

It was as bad as his own passing, maybe worse. And to make things even shoddier, if Jack had been there in person, he knows he could have done something. Whatever shadow was attacking them he could have changed. The ice wouldn't have melted. The log wouldn't have broken. Everything would have turned out all right.

The guardian's thoughts were thrown aside when the ground rumbled beneath him and the moan of earth breaking apart reached his ears. Jack jumped up with a start and looked around, glancing back into the house with the expectation that the family would be awake and panicking, but finding them still sound asleep. Jack frowned a little and took to the sky to see if he could figure out what had just happened. It was when he was far above the town (to the point where even if someone could see him, they would only be able to see something they would assume to be a bird) that he spotted the cause.

The crack by the lake, where the girl had fallen through, was back.

Jack immediately dropped down by the crevice, landing lightly on a tree and gazing down. A beam of moonlight was shining strongly upon the fissure, pulsating with power. Suddenly a shadowed figure shot out of the opening and landed heavily on the ice (which was once again completely frozen over, Jack noted).

There was the girl. She was safe. She was alright. She was…alive.

…

Did…Did that mean…?

"Son of a- bad luck," the teenager groaned angrily with gritted teeth.

Jack covered his mouth to keep his chuckle from escaping him. It was apparent that the girl wanted to curse, but forcing herself to do otherwise.

The brunette sat up stiffly, holding her back in pain, and glanced around. She hissed lightly as she arched her back and stretched. "Not one of the _best_ landings I could have experienced, but I guess it's better than the alternative of breaking something. I better get going. I'm sure the kids are worried." The girl tried to stand up, but only managed to fall on her face. "As soon as I figure out how to get control over my body again…"

Jack pressed his hand tighter over his mouth, trying his best to suppress his growing laughter while still observing the girl. But it was growing increasingly more difficult when the girl started yelling at her legs and arms, rolling around, and trying to push herself up like a newborn calf. All of her attempts ended poorly and in a final fit of frustration, the girl just yelled nonsense and thrashed until she was out of breath. By this point, Jack couldn't hold in his amusement anymore. Besides, he should probably try to help her out.

He jumped down from the tree limb, landing right next to the teenager. "Having a tough time I see."

The girl shrieked and backed away, right into a tree. She hissed and mumbled curses under breath before finally calming down enough to send a glare at the white haired boy. "Don't sneak up on me like that you jerk."

The frosty spirit held up his hands in surrender, though a smile still played across his face. "Sorry. Didn't mean to surprise you."

"Well, you did," the girl snapped, renewing her efforts to stand up.

"Do you need help?" The boy offered.

"No, I do not," the girl grumbled, trying to use the tree as support. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Is that so," Jack replied skeptically. "It looks, to me, like you could use some assistance to help get you going. Especially seeing as you've been at this for an hour now."

An embarrassed blush bloomed across the girl's face, humiliated that she had been caught, and she scowled at the boy. "Look buddy, whatever is up with my malfunctioning body is my own problem. You can just go on your way already."

The boy shrugged. "If you say so. I just thought you'd like to make it back to your family as soon as possible, but…If you insist."

The girl froze, realizing that accepting help would get her home faster (though her stubbornness and pride said otherwise). Her eyes widened when the boy made to move away and (without entirely meaning to) her hand shot out and grabbed the sleeve of the boy's blue hoodie. She lower her gaze to the ice beneath them when the kid turned to face her with a raised eyebrow and a smug grin. She ground her teeth together and glared at the snow pile next to her instead.

"Would you…" She ground out slowly, obviously unwilling but forcing her pride down. "Help me stand up…"

"What's the magic word?" Jack teased, drawing out the situation as much as possible.

"Please…"

Jack smiled and pulled the girl up to her feet, laughing when she yelped in surprise.

"I told you not to scare me!" She cried out accusingly, glaring at the boy again (though it was considerably softer than before).

The winter spirit smiled cheekily. "You never said when or how."

The teenager rolled her eyes and adjusted her grip on the boy so that she could try to stabilize herself. However, she just couldn't seem to support herself.

The boy chuckled. "Why don't we work on your walking skills, don't want you tripping all over the place and make others worry."

The girl's face could have been glowing, it was so red, and this made spirit laugh some more. She couldn't deny that she obviously needed the help, but (dang it all) her pride was hurting enough as it was. It was so 'great' that some jerk she had never met before had to be the one to see her when she was a mess.

"Come on," Jack encouraged. "It's like your first time learning how to skate. You just have to find your balance."

The girl scowled. "If you start getting mushy or pull any of that chick flick crap on me, then I don't care who you are, I'll punch you in the face."

"Warning acknowledged."

The girl narrowed her eyes at the amused grin on the boy's face. "Let me make this perfectly clear. I'm only accepting your help because there's no one else and it's the middle of the night. I'm grateful for your assistance, but I'm expecting you to keep your distance once we're said and done."

Jack nodded. "Understood. Now let's get these lessons on their way."

The girl blushed heavily again. "I know how to walk you idiot! For some reason my body just won't respond the right way." The teenager ended in a grumble, trying to figure out why she was in this state.

The winter spirit laughed lightly again. "Well let's help you catch up to your brain then."

The girl rolled her eyes, but allowed the boy to help support her as she retaught her body. A great deal later, the two stopped the give the girl's muscles a break.

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong!" The girl groaned, flopping back on the snow. "Why can't I walk anyways? It's not like I fell off a cliff and broke them!"

Jack turned away slightly so that girl couldn't see him purse his lips into a tight line. He couldn't explain it either, but he wasn't sure how to bring up his suspicions. How would it sound if he told her he thought she was dead, when she was clearly not? Well, at least not in the sense she was here right now, but more in the way that others probably couldn't see her anymore.

He shook his head and turned his attention back to the current problem. "You know what? I bet you're thinking too much about it."

The girl raised an eyebrow skeptically, but allowed the boy to pulled her up once more. "And why do you say that?"

"The look of concentration on your face," the guardian poked the girl's forehead. "You need to loosen up, go with the flow, and have fun with it."

"Then what do _you_ suggest I do instead wise guy."

"Well," Jack paused, then smiled. "Tell me about your family."

The girl sighed. "Well, I live separate from my dad. But I look after six kids, five of which are adopted."

"What are their names?"

"Why would you care?"

"I'm not trying to force information out of you. I don't even know what I could do with it anyways," Jack responded defensively.

The girl looked skeptical, but nodded. "Well, my youngest one is Tabitha, or Tobi as we've nicknamed her. She's going to be two in five more months. The next one is little Kenny. Then there's Jeremy and Susie, with Michelle and Ben as the two oldest."

"Is that the order of youngest to oldest?" Jack asked conversationally.

The teenager nodded. "Everyone but Tobi was adopted sometime after I first moved away from my dad."

Jack nodded. "So what do they like to do?"

"Those runts?" The girl smiled. "They like to have fun. Everything we do is a game, even cleaning. They weren't always like that, Ben especially. But once I showed them that I wanted to help and I gained their trust, we became the closest family you could possibly imagine. So, I do everything in my power to make sure that every day possible is one they can look back on with joy."

Jack smiled, quickly masking the sadness that flashed through his eyes. "Anything particular they like?"

The girl grinned. "They _love_ snow days."

"Really now?" The spirit grinned as well, pleased that they enjoyed his season so much.

The brunette nodded. "Winter is probably their favorite season. They enjoy ice skating, snowball fights, the works. And when we have snow days that cause even my work to close, we all gather around the fire and I tell them a story. I work on the ideas all through summer so that when winter rolls around, I'm ready and full of them."

Jack chuckled. "What kind of stories?" He asked with interest and smiling when the girl seemed to miss her rising progress.

"I tell them about my version of Santa, the Tooth Fairy, Sandman, and Easter Bunny mostly. Oh! And I just started telling them stories about Jack Frost too."

"Why that guy?"

The girl shrugged. "I always felt like he was always left out. If people are going to sing songs about him, doesn't that also mean there should be stories too? I mean, you hear stories about the others _all_ the time, but what about the boy who brings us winter fun? Come on, _so_ not fair."

"Don't you mean Old Man Winter, not boy?"

"Nu uh!" The girl shook her head obstinately, completely missing how the boy was just holding her hands and leading her. "Like I told my kids, if Jack Frost is gonna go around nipping the noises of pretty girls, he had better be damned good looking. Besides, old people don't like the cold since they can't retain heat very well. Jack Frost has to be young enough, not just to enjoy his snow, but to play around to. He's the one who initiates most of the snowball fights I bet, therefore he is young! My logic is sound, so no ifs, ands, or buts about it."

The girl crossed her arms and nodded to herself, as if she had won an important argument.

"Glad you think so." Jack then pelted the girl with a snowball.

The girl spluttered and gaped at the laughing boy. "Oh, you're gonna get it now!"

She didn't know why, but she was laughing and having fun with a complete stranger. She didn't feel the cloud of worry and confusion she had felt when she had woken up and fallen on the ice. And no matter how many time she missed the boy as he jumped from tree to tree, or flipped to avoid her, she couldn't find it in herself to grow frustrated. Their little war finally came to a halt when the sun peaked out over the mountains.

Jack hopped down from where he had been crouching on his staff and walked over to the slightly out of breath brunette as she watched the sun rise with a peaceful smile on her face. "Congratulations, you have now graduated Walking 101."

The girl blinked and laughed lightly. "I didn't even notice. Hm. I guess you were right after all twinkle toes."

The spirit blinked in surprise. "Twinkle toes?"

The teenager giggled. "Because you're so ridiculously light on your feet. By the way, if you tell anyone I said you were right or I let you help me, I'll deny everything."

She ended her sentence very seriously, but Jack couldn't help but laugh at her abrupt change in behavior. "My lips are sealed."

The girl cocked an eyebrow up skeptically. "Somehow I doubt that."

Jack just grinned cheekily.

The teenager sighed. "I better get going."

She waved and jogged away, heading back home. It was only when the girl was out of sight that Jack dropped his smile, his expression morphing into one of concern. She could see him and she was alive despite everything that proved she should not be. All of these things added up to the fact that she couldn't possibly be a normal human anymore…right? And it that was the case, then…

Jack frowned and went after the girl, praying that he was wrong. He arrived just in time to see one of her children run right through her.

Even with him there, nothing was right.


	4. Fourth Snowfall

**Disclaimer: I had an epiphany a short moment ago. This site is called **_**FAN FICTION**_**. That is an overall disclaimer all on its own and I've just wasted time for nothing to type out something. Stopping now. **

* * *

Fourth Snowfall

She had run up to the house just in time to see the kids heading out for school. The teenager smiled lightly and sped up a little, about to raise an arm to grab their attention. But then little Susie was yelling at the teenagers only _real_ friend and pulling away.

"I don't want to go to school! I _don't want_ new parents! I want mommy!" Susie yelled as loud as her little lungs could manage.

"Oh Susie," the teenager called out, kneeling before the crying child. "It's okay, mommy's here now. You don't have to worry anymo-"

The middle of the three female children didn't notice the teenager and turned around to run back into the house, passing right through the teenager in the process.

The brunette sucked in a shuddering gasp. It was like her very soul had been pulled out along with the child, leaving her breathless and empty. The girl collapsed onto her rear, her hands pressed over where the child had run through her, as if she was trying to hold whatever was left of her in place. Her shock mixed with horror, for all to see…If they could see her that was.

Tears rolled past unnoticed as the teenager continued to watch numbly as her children finally left the house. She didn't even notice the previously white clouds above her turn a surly stormy gray, a deep and troubled rumble of thunder rolling though the folds. She barely registered the soft padding of someone approaching her from behind, and even then she didn't budge.

"You know," she started suddenly in a soft tone just above a whisper, "there comes a point in some people's lives where they learn so much that when they need to get help, they can't because they know too much about the subject to get the help they really need. How do you answer questions to let someone know what's troubling you, when you already know the answers a normal person would make? Do you admit that there is something wrong with you, that you are flawed, unclean, and can't be repaired?"

"I don't think that's it at all," Jack replied gently. "You don't ask each other questions, you just tell them about yourself."

The teenager didn't say anything to that, just staring blankly at nothing. Her thoughts slipping around her mind like oil and water. Finally she managed to pull herself back enough to speak again. "Did you know that would happen?"

"I was praying that I was wrong," the winter spirit admitted.

"Me too." Her lips quirked into a smile for a fraction of a second. "Thank you for not telling me. I'd rather not have guilt eating me away as well since I wouldn't have believed you."

"I'm sorry I couldn't do anything," Jack mumbled.

The brunette shook her head minutely. "Things happen and not everything can turn out alright. I'm actually very grateful that I have someone to talk to and see me… Are you dead too?"

"In a matter of speaking…"

"Can…can anyone else see us?" A distressed frown flitted across the girl's face for a moment.

"I think it depends."

The teenager nodded slowly and the two fell into silence. Jack wasn't sure if it was just for a few moments or a few hours, but eventually the sight of the Northern Lights caught his attention. Jack glanced between the girl and the obvious calling. He knew that whatever meeting he had run out on had been important, but it just didn't feel right to leave the girl as she was.

"You have to go, right?" The brunette cut into and reading his thoughts without even looking at him.

"I…" Jack trailed off, still unwilling to leave just yet.

The girl finally moved, turning to give the boy a grateful smile. "Thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine. I've taken care of myself for a long time anyways."

To this, Jack looked unsure. That hadn't been a very good argument and only made him want to stay more.

The teenagers smile pulled up a little more. "I'll really be okay, and if you really feel like you need to check up on me, then you can come back. I doubt I'll be moving anywhere else anytime soon."

Jack sighed, but nodded in agreement. He took one last glance of the girl, who had returned her attention back to the general direction of her house, he took to the sky and disappeared behind the clouds.

xXx

"Jack! Where did you go?" Too demanded the moment the boy had landed. "We tried to follow you, but for some reason, we couldn't locate where you went."

The spirit ground his teeth together for a moment, casting his gaze to the floor. "Someone died and I couldn't save them."

"Oh, Jack… I'm so sorry," Tooth said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Were-…Were you two close?"

Jack smiled at the fairy in thanks before frowning a little at her second question. "Not…Really. But…there was something, I'm not sure what, that told me she'll be important."

The other four frown a little as well, but not because their newest member was upset and a life was lost, but because of the way he worded it. Still, there were other matters they had to attend to right now. They could question him in more detail later.

Jack realized this as well, and with a shake of his head, he returned to the topic at hand. "So what problem is there this time? Why are Bunny's flowers dying?"

"That's what we're still trying confirm mate," Bunny informed the youngest one. "We have out suspicions, but something isn't quite adding up right."

"Yes," North took over. "While you were away, Manny sent us a message. There is someone he needs us to look after who should be able to fix whatever went wrong."

For some reason, an uneasy feeling started to settle in the pit of Jack's stomach. "Who?"

Suddenly a portal opened up off to the side.

"Ah!" North laughed jovially. "Here they come now!"

"Oh no," Jack muttered. Not a moment later, screaming was heard followed with a loud curse when a familiar red bag crashed and rolled across the floor.

"_WHY_ is it that everything concerning emerging from somewhere dark includes so much _pain_!" A familiar, albeit muffled, voice shouted. After much unneeded kicking (evidently due to her frustration), the girl emerged from the bag. She gave the offending object a good stomp and pointed accusingly at it. "You, spiteful evil bag of doom, I would smite thee if I had the power. And _**OW**_! _Why_ did I have to land on the same spot as before! In fact, why am I going through all this crap! I demand a refund dang it!"

Once again, Jack found himself stifling his laughter. It was quite obvious that the girl hadn't noticed their group yet, but he was actually glad since it gave him a show and got her out of the depressed state she had been when he left, all at the same time.

The teenager heaved a heavy sigh and pressed a hand to her temple. "I really need to get my priorities straightened out, that or a CAT scan. Nah, can't afford it. Priorities first."

North finally broke out of his initial shock with a loud hearty laugh, not noticing how the girl froze in place. "She is even funnier than I thought!"

The brunette looked around slowly, eyes wide and growing wider when she spotted everyone.

"I suppose you're wondering what we have called you here for my dear," North called out to the girl with a smile, waving toward their group.

It was then that Jack noticed the look of horror spreading across her face, and at the last second, he covered his ears. He was just in time to block out the shrill scream of the teenager. The girl backed away from the group, hitting the railing and reaching around blindly, assumedly to find something to defend herself with. At least, that's what they thought…until she slammed the grabbed toy against her own head.

The teenager swore loudly. "Why did that hurt so much more than I wanted it to! Aah! And why didn't I pass out! No wait. Is it because I'm already unconscious and I can't wake up?" The girl gasped. "Am I in a coma! Nooooooooo! I have a sick, twisted, warped mind! I'm already stuck with it when I don't have something to occupy myself with, don't leave me here 24/7! I'll never survive! At least make me insane. I can deal with insanity!"

Jack couldn't help it anymore and broke out laughing at the combination of the girl's rants and the looks the other guardians were sporting.

The brunette twisted around at the sound and a look of intense relief flitted across the panicking girl's face when she recognized the person laughing at her expense. She immediately ran over to hide behind Jack, clutching his clothes and thanking whatever deity out there. "Thank god, there's someone here! Wait a second!" Realization crashed down on her and the next second she was backing away, this time looking pissed. "Are you with them? Because if you are, I'll open up the biggest can of nonexistent ass whooping skills you've ever seen!"

"Wait, you just admitted that you can't fight?" Jack pointed out with an amused half grin.

The girl froze for only a moment before replying. "Aha! You have already fallen for my underestimate the enemy tactic! Before you even realize it, I'd be like hya! Hiya! Hiiiyyya!" The teenager demonstrated with ridiculously dramatic chops.

Jack ended up snorting when he tried to cover his laughter (again) and failing.

The girl huffed and crossed her arms. "Shut up. It's been a long day and my brain clearly fell out somewhere between the time I was stuffed in a freaking back and tossed who knows where."

A yeti stepped forward and said something in its garbled language. However, this sent the girl back into screaming hysterics and out of the room, yelling something about monsters and little demons with bells.

"Well that could have gone over better," Bunny grumbled.

Jack laughed. "But this was more fun!" He flew after the girl, knowing that the others were coming as well.

The girl wouldn't be too difficult to track. All he had to do was follow the screaming mixed with jumbled nonsense of her location. He did pick up the pace a little bit when the screaming went a pitch higher before turning to just yelling. He stopped by an open platform and crouched down, gazing at the still frantic teenager.

"_Ohmygod_! _Ohmygod_! _Ohmygod_!" She yelled, hanging onto the edge, where she had clearly slipped off. "I'm gonna fall and die! Somebody help me up!"

The winter spirit was about to offer his assistance, maybe tease her a little bit as well, when a gust of air rushed from below and threw the brunette up into the air.

The girl screamed again. "I'm gonna fall and die! _Getmedown_! _Getmedown_! _Getmedown_!" With yet another shriek, the girl started to plummet. "I take it back! _Pickmeup_! _Pickmeup_! _Pickmeup_! Why is this happening! I don't know which is worse! And at this rate I'm going to have a heart attack and die anyway!"

Jack called to the wind and flew up into the air with a laugh. He knew he should feel sympathetic for the girl and help her out, but this way was _so_ much more entertaining. He hadn't met anyone this funny in a while. He reached forward and grabbed the girl, pulling her closer so that he could help her down. "Easy there, I'll get us down nice and safe!"

"Noooo!" The girl wailed, clinging to the boy as tightly as she could. "We're going to fall and die! We're gonna diiiiie!"

"Well if you would stop trying to strangle me and take the time to look around, I think you'll find that we aren't in the air anymore," Jack interrupted calmly, trying to keep his face straight.

The girl, who was shaking like a leaf, _slowly_ cracked open an eye just enough to see blurred images through her eyelashes. Then she _slowly_ lowered a leg and felt around for ground, testing out the stability before flinging herself onto the ice. "Land! I'll never leave you again! Hey! Don't laugh!" The girl shouted at the winter spirit, who finally gave into his amusement completely and was practically rolling around on the ground with laughter.

"I can't help it," Jack barely managed. "Your face!…Priceless!"

Red slashed across the girl's face. "Sh-Shut up! You pompous jerk! I'm scared out of my mind and all you do is _laugh_! And what are you exactly anyways!" The girl demanded, poking the boy. "Where are the wires, magnet, or whatever? How did we get up into the air in the first place? And how can someone have such cold body temperature? Is that actually frost on your clothes? Are you an alien or something?"

Jack, who had just started calming down, snorted and folded back into laughter.

"Hey! I'm being serious!" The girl scolded.

"I'm not!" Jack jibed, half heatedly trying to swat away the girl's prodding and tugging.

"Oh my goodness! Are you okay Jack?" Tooth called out, zooming over. She sighed in relief when she realized that the boy was just laughing.

The teenager stared intently, but incredulously at the fluttery fairy. "So…Am I on a movie set or something?"

"Crikey, this one is an odd one."

The girl screamed and backpedalled away from the two other arrivals, the winter spirit only just managed to grab her ankle to keep her going over the edge a second time. "A ginormous rabbit just spoke! Oh my god, is it a demon? _Whatislifeanymore_!"

Back to the floor and holding his stomach, with Jack.

Bunny on the other hand was completely dumbfounded. Never once had anyone been afraid of him or called him a demon. "Oi, girlie. I'm _not_ a demon. I'm the Easter Bunny."

"Wait, wait, wait." The girl threw up her hands to indicate that she wanted everyone to stop whatever they were doing. "Pause, rewind. Back up and don't play… So let me get this straight. _You_ are the Easter Bunny?"

"You're not quite the full quid*, are ya mate," Bunny joked.

The brunette ignored that jibe and moved onto the others. "Does that mean you're Santa, the Tooth Fairy, Sandman, and…Jack Frost…?"

The youngest guardian of the group sat up with a wide grin. "That's us!"

"Uh huh…" The girl nodded slowly, turning around to face the rising moon. She then sucked in as much air as she could and, "I make up stories for my kids to enjoy and you throw it back in my face? What did I do to deserve getting stuck in my head with the very characters I made up! What, was I supposed to follow the mainstream Coca Cola Santa Clause? Would _that_ have kept me sane?"

"Why is she yelling at Manny?" North questioned the others, to which many shrugged and Sandy created a little golden question mark over his head.

The girl slumped down onto her knees the sat on the floor with her hands over her face. "Who am I kidding. I know I died back there, so this could very well be what limbo is like. Damn. First my kids, now this…It just isn't fair."

To the others' surprise, Jack was the first one to move and comfort the girl.

"Hey, I'm sure there's a way for them to be able to see you again," the spirit murmured softly. "Don't give up hope just yet."

"So you mean I can give up later?" The brunette joked weakly. "And if you're expecting me to lean over onto your shoulder and cry my eyes out, I may have to slap you."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Jack replied cheerily.

The girl sighed. "What am I doing here anyways?"

"That is because we called you here," North informed the girl.

The teenager stared wearily. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but could you keep your distance. You and the rabbit scare the ever loving crap out of me. And that doesn't answer why I'm here, just the unasked who brought me here part."

"Well, you see," Tooth chimed in, "Manny said that you needed protection."

"From what?" The teenager pressed a little impatiently.

"You mean, you don't know?" Tooth faltered.

"I think we're starting this all wrong," Jack jumped in. "Let's start with introductions and work our way from there? Since you know all of us, why don't we start with you?"

"I suppose that makes enough sense for me to follow through with your request…I'm…" The girl frowned. "I'm…My name is…" She raised her hands and clutched her head.

"Hey, are you alright?" The winter guardian placed a hand over the girl's back in concern. A lost look crossed her features as she glanced up at Jack.

"I…I don't remember what my name is…"

* * *

**You're no the full quid means not bright intellectually. (At least that's what a transfer student from Australia told me.)**


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